John Armstrong on Christine Rankin

John Armstrong cannot seem to decide whether National is mad in appointing Christine Rankin to the Families Commission, indulging in cronyism or seeking to shake up this quango.

Adam would like to think the latter. For if we are to have this misbegotten beast at all then we might as well get some value for money from it.

Rankin’s appointment is risky. In fact this appointment seems at odds with John Key’s normal approach. This is not to say that Rankin does not have skills after all she was an achiever before she became embroiled in controversy. Adam has not checked, but from memory the issues with her time at WINZ had much to do with some ill judged conference spending and publicity and not a lot to do with her overall running of WINZ.

Again from memory Adam thinks her background has some parallels with Paula Bennett’s. Therein might lie the reason for the appointment. Consequently Adam thinks that John Armstrong may be right when he suggests:-

Injecting a more conservative flavour into the commission’s work suggests Social Development Minister Paula Bennett is seeking alternative sources of advice than just that coming from her ministry’s officials – in the same way that Sir Geoffrey Palmer’s Law Commission became a think tank for Helen Clark when she wanted advice on justice and sentencing matters.

The test of that theory will be whether this month’s Budget sees the commission not only escaping the clutches of the Cabinet’s razor-gang, but being beefed up as well.

Rankin whilst having an unfortunate past profile is not stupid and will think independently. Her appointment has deflected attention away from Bruce Pilbrow’s appointment. Adam does not know anything about this gentleman, but wonders if he might be the Trojan horse rather than Rankin. Rankin will have to notch up some achievements, else John Key will have expended political capital unnecessarily, which he may come to regret.

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